Retired cops fly anti de Blasio banners over NYC

There is a time when a commander realizes he has lost the trust and confidence of his unit — and failure to do so has adverse ramifications.

In the mini-series “Band of Brothers,” the initial commander for Easy Company was a tough trainer and drove the men hard, but when they went out on maneuvers at Ft. Bragg, they realized LT Sobel couldn’t lead. When they deployed over to England, Sobel’s problems increased — and the non-commissioned officers revolted. In the end they were able to make LT Winters their company commander — and the rest is history.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio may well have reached his tipping point with the New York Police Department.

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As reported by The Daily Caller, a group called “”Retired NYPD for a Safe New York have been hiring planes to fly banners over the city blasting de Blasio. “Two more anti-Bill de Blasio plane banners flew over the Hudson on Tuesday. “De Blasio. You Failed All NY’ers. It’s Time. Resign,” read one. “New York Support The NYPD. Rest in Peace Dets Liu & Ramos,” said the other.”

According to a press statement by the group “Retired NYPD for a Safe New York,” the banners are being flown past the city as part “of an organized campaign…to support the brave men and women protecting our streets, while protesting the glaring, dangerous disregard that Mayor de Blasio demonstrates toward the realities of public safety and those who protest our streets in particular.”

Yes, it does speak for itself and it’s a message an entire nation sees. You cannot place political ideology above your commitment to those who protect and serve. According to reports, the NYPD are no longer focused on small misdemeanor issues such as parking. That, ladies and gents, is the first sign of a demoralized force.

“[The message] voices our displeasure with the de Blasio Administration while sounding an alarm over the doctrinaire, one-sided policies that he and his supporters would use, perhaps inadvertently, to diminish the quality of public safety throughout New York City.”

“The statement, which calls for the mayor’s resignation, talks of “unrelenting attacks on the NYPD” as well as law enforcement all over the country by politicians, media, civilians and clergy — not all clergy.”

The question is, how far does this have to go before we reach critical mass? The last thing we need is for more law enforcement officers to end up shot in targeted attacks. I also wonder if we’ve reached the point where the protestors have lost the moral high ground?

The recent video of a group of protestors interrupting a World War II veteran’s ceremony was just over the top. The disrespect isn’t only towards the police but any symbol of honor, integrity, and character – not to mention duty and discipline.

Last December, I addressed the issue of “command climate” which is the atmosphere created by a leader. The Daily Caller writes, “Mayor de Blasio empowered the protesters due to his glaring lack of support for an understanding of the NYPD and failing to appropriately condemn the protesters engaging in unlawful activities. As a result, he engendered a climate of lawlessness and permissiveness that endangered the police as well. A similar atmosphere contributed to the steady decline in NYC during the 1970’s and 1980’s.”

My wife Angela remembers the Dinkins years of law enforcement in New York City. She said it wasn’t a fun time to be out and about in The Big Apple. Has it gotten to the point where Mayor de Blasio has no other course of action other than to resign? But does anyone believe de Blasio could change his colors and admit he was wrong about our NYPD officers?

Well, based on this statement after NYPD officers turned their backs on him, “Those individuals who took certain actions the last two weeks, they were disrespectful to the families involved. That’s the bottom line,” de Blasio said to reporters at police headquarters. “I can’t understand why anyone would do such a thing in the context like that.” Seems he didn’t get the message that those officers weren’t showing disrespect to the families of Detectives Ramos or Liu — it was intended for him.

Meet Allen West

Allen West was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia in the same neighborhood where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once preached. He is the third of four generations of military servicemen in his family.

During his 22 year career in the United States Army, Lieutenant Colonel West served in several combat zones: in Operation Desert Storm, in Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he was a Battalion Commander in the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, and later in Afghanistan.